Roland Park K-8 Magnet School

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Posted: May 1, 2026

Excellent school for my children. The teachers are amazing

Posted: August 4, 2023

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Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Una escuela muy buena, mi hija esta feliz !

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Posted: August 12, 2018

Our experience has been very positive. Just started 1st grade and we are happy with my son’s teachers. Last year, his kindergarten was top notch. She went above and beyond consistently and exceeded my expectations by far. I feel very lucky that my son attends this school.

Posted: April 18, 2018

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Posted: April 18, 2018

Character is valued and students are encouraged to explore their interests while finding ways to create change in their community

Posted: April 18, 2018

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Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: August 10, 2017

genial eh tenido la fortuna conocer a un personal muy respetuoso hasta el momento y unas maestras que tienen mucha capacidad para realizar el trabajo que desarroyan

Posted: August 10, 2017

Posted: July 30, 2017

I would rate my experiences at Roland Park very highly. I have attended this school for my sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years. Everyone there wants you to succeed. While there have been some issues with bullying from other students, the administration has handled it well. Certain students complain about the difficulty and amount of homework, but I have never had a problem with it. I would recommend this school to anyone who wanted a high level of academic rigor. This is an IB school, but some teachers do more with the IB curriculum than others. One negative is that our principal and many teachers are leaving to go to a new school, so I am not sure how it will be next year as well as the following years.

Posted: July 30, 2017

Posted: July 30, 2017

I have been a student at Roland Park for three years, and just graduated this year. While I haven't had the best experiences with some of the students, the teachers have been wonderful. From my experiences, the teacher have a genuine love of learning. However, each has his/her own style of teaching. For any new middle school students, I would recommend learning to adapt to each teacher. Some allow retakes, some do extra credit ( yay 110%!!!), some use more technology than others, some do more projects or competitions than others, etc. Make sure to focus on school. If you are struggling in something, go to your teachers. They genuinely want to help you. Overall, I have had a great experience at this school with academics and teachers, and would highly recommend it

Posted: May 16, 2017

We LOVE Roland Park! The students have so many opportunities to learn in exciting and creative ways! The teachers are engaging and professional. The Related Arts program is incredible and students learn violin and Spanish starting in kindergarten. There is tremendous family support and a rich, culturally diverse learning environment!

Posted: May 4, 2017

My child has been a student at RP 3 years now. I had noticed throughout the 3 years that it highly depended on the teacher your child got as to whether they were a great influence for your child or not. We've had some bad apples to be honest! Once My child moved to middle school was when we started to notice a shift in the quality of school and the teachers. She has commented that some teachers have not been interested in teaching and in her words not mine "they hate their jobs" quite disheartening. Some teachers are great - communicative, responsive, compassionate, caring, Mrs Beardsley is super sweet, genuine and honestly cares. Others are not - distant (teachers on cell phones during class) uncaring, disrespectful, a bit cold and very poor communicators. Administrators have been a huge challenge I hate to say. Principles have changed three times. Mrs Gilliyard will tell you what you want to hear just to keep you quiet and not follow thru what she's promised. Mr Costanza will excuse bullying from teachers (yes bullying from teachers!) as "that's just her personality" little snippet of what happened;teacher tells student that she doesnt like the child, parents go in, parent gets told "that's just the teachers personality"
Curriculum is your standard Common Core and, while it can be challenging, it also frequently feels more like busy work rather than legitimate learning opportunities, Homework in particular, instead of fostering a real love for, and sense of, learning is silly nonsense that have nothing to do with what they're learning.
Field trips for students aren't anywhere I would say they would truly learn something from and unexplainably expensive plus three quarters of the way through the school year they insist on wearing school specific field trip tshirts which parents had to pay extra for otherwise kids couldn't attend the field trip.
Overall, this is an average school, I wouldn't call it a rated A school.

Posted: May 4, 2017

Nope!!!!! Definitely not!
There is bullying not just from kid to kid but teacher to kid!

Posted: May 4, 2017

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Posted: February 4, 2016

Ms Jamir is a wonderful teacher. She brings the best on each of her students and my child loves being there. There are lots going on on PYP and the kids get exposed to so much more than at our previous S Tampa A rated school. It is still a young school with lots of wrinkles to be ironed but with a lot of potential for greatness. PYP assistant principal is wonderful and so is the PYP IB coordinator. We feel lucky to be here

Posted: December 15, 2015

Posted: December 15, 2015

Neutral on effectiveness, depends on teacher. Average rating. For some classes, the IB curriculum is just an extra project, which may not even be part of their grade.

Posted: December 15, 2015

Posted: December 15, 2015

We rate the middle school average. Academics are good, with some outstanding teachers and some average.

Posted: December 1, 2015

Posted: December 1, 2015

Posted: December 1, 2015

Posted: December 1, 2015

My son joined Roland Park this year in kindergarten. We were so nervous about his future in a new school and the challenging environment of kindergarten. However, our concerns were unnecessary. The academic, social, and emotional growth our son has made in these few short months has been amazing! We had no idea that Roland Park would impacted all of our lives in such a beautiful way. All we wanted for him was a safe environment where he is known and loved. We got that and so much more. We are so grateful to be a part of their community!

Posted: September 25, 2015

Posted: September 25, 2015

Posted: September 25, 2015

Qualities like honesty, integrity, and fairness are consistently discussed and reinforced at all grade levels. In general, the kids are good kids.

Posted: September 25, 2015

My 2 children have been at RP over 3 years now. It is really hit or miss and highly dependent on the teacher you get. Some teachers are great - communicative, responsive, compassionate, caring. Others are not - cold, distant, uncaring, disrespectful, and poor communicators. Administrators are also a mixed bag - some show genuine care, others say what you want to hear to your face then "cover" themselves by saying what they must to others. The only aspect I would say is consistently strong is in the Specials - art, music, PE, etc. Those teachers uniformly do a fabulous job with the kids. Curriculum is your standard Common Core and, while it can be challenging, it also frequently feels more like busy work rather than legitimate learning opportunities. Homework for the younger students, in particular, feels like busy work instead of fostering a real love for, and sense of, learning. Overall, this is an average school. I can't say I'm entirely pleased but I don't know that this is any better/worse than our A rated neighborhood school. So I don't have a better option, short of private school, which I would strongly consider if either child ever ended up with a bad teacher.

Posted: September 21, 2015

Great sense of diversity and the is school amazing teachers they take their time with the students.

Posted: August 7, 2015

Posted: August 7, 2015

Posted: August 7, 2015

My daughter just completed her first year at Roland Park. I love their approach to learning and teaching the children to be independent. Parent / Teacher conferences are led by the student, who presents their accomplishments, what they excelled at, and where they need more work. Great program!

Posted: August 24, 2014

I have 2 children at Roland Park and the oldest one has been there since it became a magnet school and she was in K. Although, I have nothing to compare it to, I am very pleased. I feel my children can progress as much as they need to and the teachers so far have been fantastic. It seems like my girls always get paired with the right teacher to fit their personalities and learning styles. They are being challenged as well as becoming global thinkers.

Posted: December 12, 2013

My son started at Roland Park last year and we moved him from a top rated A school.We are extremely pleased with both the academics and the excellent extra curricular activities from languages to the arts, music and sports.He loves the school and his teachers and the communication between us and his teacher is the best we have ever had, we are totally up to date with what is going on and how he is doing.I would definetely recomment this school!

Posted: November 10, 2013

My daughter is a kindergartener this year. I can not say enough good things about this school. The teachers and administration are the key to this school's success. They truly care about the students and their individual needs. My daughter LOVES to go to school everyday. The communication between teacher, admin. and parents is excellent. The curriculum is challenging and focuses on individual needs. We are so blessed to have gotten into this school and look forward to all the new and exciting things to come. I recommend anyone interested to tour the school, and you will be sold!

Posted: October 27, 2013

This school is Great! Our children, husband and I have never had a problem with anything. or anyone All the teachers and staff have always answers all of our questions. If that person that we asked doesn't know the answer to our question they always gotten someone right then and their to answer our question. The staff in the office and the school nurse are so nice. I VERY VERY much like the new pick up after school school # tags that we HAVE to have in our window rather than saying the kid/kids name. And that we stay in ONE LINE rather than two. I love the school cop/police man as he directs the cars,get the children across the street safe. AND BLOCKS THE DRIVE WITH HIS CAR SO NO ONE CAN CUT YOU OFF.

Posted: September 3, 2013

This school is awesome! My daughter, now is 6th grade, is blossoming and learning more every day! The teachers and administrators are great and really care about the students and provide a clallenging learning environment. They go out of their way to make sure the students are taken care of and are thriving.

Posted: August 26, 2013

The AGP program for the PYP is excellent! The teachers are well supported by an outstanding administrative team, an active PTSA, and ready to learn students.

Posted: August 10, 2013

This school is great! I'm loving the fact that my son's teachers are caring, the curriculum is challenging, and the facilty is wonderful. Don't know why someone is calling the principal arrogant. He's done wonders for the school, brings the faculty together, and has the students' best interests at heart. He's 'head and shoulders' above the previous principal, too.

Posted: July 27, 2013

We have three children who have been at Roland Park since kindergarten. Out oldest is now a junior at Jefferson. They had always been honor roll/ principal's honor roll kids. Initially we were very pleased with the school but over the years it had started to fall in quality & the high level of educational instruction. Even the uniform policy was not being enforced. Since the recent changes to become an IB school, We are once again pleased. We also like the new principal. He is friendly, and unlike the previous principal, his own child attends Roland Park, which speaks volumes.

Posted: June 2, 2013

My child started here the previous year and I was quite pleased with his progression. Then leadership changed. As an active parent, I have had a variety of chances to communicate with the principal, Dr. Grantham. He comes off as somewhat anti-social and arrogant, not the type of leader who should be at the helm of a school that seeks to teach IB skills. I am most saddened by the prideful tendencies that seem to be pushing away two great young teachers who have truly made an impact in my child's life. I will continue to keep my son at the school for the programs, but will advocate through the district leadership for the removal of the principal and I would highly recommend other parents to as well.

Posted: May 31, 2013

I moved my child, a second grader to RP from our local A school as she was not enjoying school and was not interested in learning. I heard that the method used at RP was more interactive and hands on and might accommodate my child's learning methods more. It turned out to be a fabulous decision. My daughter now loves going to school and is excited to learn. We love the IB program, the teachers and being part of something that feels like it is only going to get better and better.

Posted: April 17, 2013

My child is in 6th grade and just finished taking the Math FCAT. There was material on the test that my child's class has not even covered while 6th grade students at neighboring middle schools covered that material weeks ago. I know because I asked both students (6th grade) and parents (of 6th graders) from 2 other middles schools. RP's solution to not covering this critical material (diameter, radius, circumference, area of a circle and pi) was to hand them a reference sheet to use during the test. How is a reference sheet supposed to help them with material they have never even talked about, let alone been taught? They should have notified parents in advance so students could learn it at home or learn it on KhanAcademy.com (the math teacher refers students to Khan Academy more than she teaches anyway). This was a dealbreaker for us. I didn't choose RP over our "A" rated local middle school so my child could NOT learn key material that they will be tested on and that will be used for placement next year. I am angry and beyond disappointed at the school and the teacher's irresponsibility in this situation.

Posted: April 1, 2013

I moved both my kids to RP from one of the best schools in south Tampa because I liked the IB philosophy and curriculum. They are now in their second year and I am very pleased. More importantly, they love it there. The school really encourages parental and community involvement and the PTSA is very active and full of wonderful, caring people who are always working to make the school the very best it can be. The IB program itself is amazing and teaches the children so much more than just academics. Give this school your full consideration. You won't be disappointed.

Posted: February 4, 2013

We changed schools last year, from an A school to the newly established Magnet school at RP. With any change, first year was to be expected; this second year has been great. The Administration and Teachers really care about the kids and their education. The AGP provides a challenging, yet engaging curriculum. My son has really shown a love for school. I would recommend Roland Park.

Posted: December 13, 2012

I have a child in kindergarten and am very pleased with all the teachers and administrators and other staff members with whom we come into contact everyday. Communication between the school and parents is good, and the IB curriculum is teaching the kids not just the basics, but how to be inquisitive thinkers, which is education at a whole new level. We are also extremely pleased that the school provides so many extras (and even to the smallest kids!) that other schools have cut - PE, Spanish, violin, music, art. Parental involvement and enthusiasm seems high, too. This is clearly a school on the rise.

Posted: October 23, 2012

We moved our two elementary kids to Roland Park after the school went magnet/IB. We couldn't be happier. The teachers and principal are stars. This school is on the rapid rise. The discipline and integrity being instilled in the students is clearly evident after a 2 minute stroll through the school. I know a lot of people who have switched to RP, and many more who plan to make the move. Why are there still reviews here from the time before the Roland switched to IB? It's an entirely different school -- on every level -- only the building is the same.

Posted: October 12, 2012

I moved two children from an "A" rated school across town to attend this school when it switched to IB last year. It was not a small or easy decision. Are we pleased with our decision ? Absolutely!! The level of commitment and caring displayed by The teachers, principal, and parents is outstanding. Besides teaching to the IB philosophy, the students are taught mutual respect and self-reliance. Students are taught at a young age how to critically think. They also have strings and a foreign language in addition to core classes (math, science, etc.). The administration and teachers are excellent communicators, and really listen to parental input. This was truly an excellent decision for our family!

Posted: October 10, 2012

so far i couldn't be more pleased with this school. all of the reviews listed here are from when the school was not a magnet school. this is the second year that is has been ib (international baccalaureate) and what i see from the teachers and principal is amazing. my son is in kindergarten, this is just our first year but i did so much research on this school, and all the school options for us. our neighborhood school is one of the best in the county but i was drawn to the ib curriculum and teaching philosophy. i have not been disappointed. are there still kinks? yes there are but i am not feeling them or concerned by them. the teachers, administrators and principal (new for the 2012/2013 year) are excellent communicators and are really committed to making this school a success. i am so happy i made the choice to apply!

Posted: May 8, 2012

Also, seems alot of the reviews in favor of the school are before the school went IB this year.

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Posted: July 12, 2007